Blog Post:Hitting the bulls-eye in archery is not just about how easy it is to bend the bow; it also depends heavily on an accurate assessment of conditions and a strategy for aiming the arrow. The same is true in hitting your mark or targeted audience in digital marketing. Unfortunately, with all of the responsibilities on our plates these days, it’s tempting to oversimplify testing. The reality is that without the ability to effectively target in real-time, it’s nearly impossible to consistently drive conversions and maximize ROI across a diverse customer base.What’s missing in many optimization tools is a step-by-step framework for setting up an effective test, and clearly defining the depth and breadth of your results to maximize return in real-time at a granular level. At the same time, it’s necessary to acquire data to clearly define the next steps in growing your optimization program efficiently.Using an oversimplified optimization tool puts your efforts at risk because it overlooks custom targeting and metrics, or the fine-tuning of a test design to achieve accurate, desired results. In this case, testing is limited to a broad swath of the user population. Sure, you might see a little bit of lift, but you’re essentially creating a disconnected “optimized” experience that’s targeted toward an “average” customer—one that may not even exist within that broad population. Marketers run the risk of overlooking huge segments of their user base that may be behaving in a different way and are likely not receiving the right set of experiences to drive conversion. They also run the risk of not being able to determine progressive, relevant experiences across touch points and channels by testing and determining the best performing series of experiences.We recognize that effective testing and targeting is best achieved through a guided framework with best practices built in, and customization at your fingertips. It’s a balance between having a quick set-up process while also facilitating an organized approach that allows the non-technical marketer to identify the essential steps or refinements that they need to achieve their goals. This requires a step-by-step, visual test design methodology that is focused on creating the most effective tests. Instead of oversimplifying the process, it’s important to make it as easy as possible to set up an effective test using on-screen levers as well as out-of-the-box parameters and rules that allow digital marketers to continually fine-tune their tests.It’s not just about having a tool that provides ease of use. Rather, it’s about how you can aim your bow, acquire the rich data you need to define a productive optimization strategy, and hit the mark in terms of your immediate KPIs as well as the long-term growth of your program and company. There’s much more to come from us, so please do stay tuned in and in touch.
Author:Drew Burns
Date Created:August 9, 2013
Headline:Why Test Design is Crucial to Digital Marketing Success
Social Counts:
Keywords: #conversion #optimization #ROI #targeting #testing
Publisher:Adobe

Why Test Design is Crucial to Digital Marketing Success

Hitting the bulls-eye in archery is not just about how easy it is to bend the bow; it also depends heavily on an accurate assessment of conditions and a strategy for aiming the arrow. The same is true in hitting your mark or targeted audience in digital marketing. Unfortunately, with all of the responsibilities on our plates these days, it’s tempting to oversimplify testing. The reality is that without the ability to effectively target in real-time, it’s nearly impossible to consistently drive conversions and maximize ROI across a diverse customer base.

What’s missing in many optimization tools is a step-by-step framework for setting up an effective test, and clearly defining the depth and breadth of your results to maximize return in real-time at a granular level. At the same time, it’s necessary to acquire data to clearly define the next steps in growing your optimization program efficiently.

Using an oversimplified optimization tool puts your efforts at risk because it overlooks custom targeting and metrics, or the fine-tuning of a test design to achieve accurate, desired results. In this case, testing is limited to a broad swath of the user population. Sure, you might see a little bit of lift, but you’re essentially creating a disconnected “optimized” experience that’s targeted toward an “average” customer—one that may not even exist within that broad population. Marketers run the risk of overlooking huge segments of their user base that may be behaving in a different way and are likely not receiving the right set of experiences to drive conversion. They also run the risk of not being able to determine progressive, relevant experiences across touch points and channels by testing and determining the best performing series of experiences.

We recognize that effective testing and targeting is best achieved through a guided framework with best practices built in, and customization at your fingertips. It’s a balance between having a quick set-up process while also facilitating an organized approach that allows the non-technical marketer to identify the essential steps or refinements that they need to achieve their goals. This requires a step-by-step, visual test design methodology that is focused on creating the most effective tests. Instead of oversimplifying the process, it’s important to make it as easy as possible to set up an effective test using on-screen levers as well as out-of-the-box parameters and rules that allow digital marketers to continually fine-tune their tests.

It’s not just about having a tool that provides ease of use. Rather, it’s about how you can aim your bow, acquire the rich data you need to define a productive optimization strategy, and hit the mark in terms of your immediate KPIs as well as the long-term growth of your program and company. There’s much more to come from us, so please do stay tuned in and in touch.